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Don't Count Out the iPad Competitors

Amidst reports that the Samsung may be touting inflated numbers for sales of its Galaxy Tab tablet — and reports that those that do buy the device are returning it at an alarming rate — one might jump to the conclusion that Apple has little to be worried about in the way of competitors to its iPad.

However, that would be a mistake.

While Apple sold nearly 15 million iPads in 2010 and closed the year with 75% market share in the tablet space, that was down from 95% in the third quarter of 2010, before the Galaxy Tab went on sale.

And regardless of whether or not the Galaxy Tab is a hit or a dud — Samsung claims its return rate is actually 2% — a slew of better Android devices are about to invade the market — not to mention offerings from other players including RIM and Palm.

For this and a variety of other reasons, I believe the same tides that lifted Android past iOS in the smartphone world will soon do the same with tablets. That's the topic of my CNN column this week.

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